From Emma – Throwback Apprenticedays
We’re well into the search for next year’s apprentice class (speaking of! If you’re a recent college grad with an interest in physically-based, community-inspired theatre, come audition!), and in the process of that recruitment drive, I find myself looking back at the apprentice classes I’ve known over my time at Touchstone.
We start out with the class of 2007-08 – fellow Gettysburg College alum Tom Christian (seen here top left) was an apprentice that year, and he reached out to a number of his classmates, including me, about the great experience he was having as a Touchstone apprentice. I tiptoed into auditions, and I haven’t left since.
My class comes next – 2008-09, with Jana, David, and Adam (note the scarf, hat, and hoodies… man, eight years at Touchstone, and the theatre heat in February is still terrible…) I’m not much good at talking about anything that vaguely involves myself, so let’s move on to…
2009-10 – lovely Zach, who is now off in sunny California, and lovely Anne, who is now off in beautiful France. They are seen here doing a really lovely movement piece that involved a soccer ball.
2010-11 – Anne back for her second apprenticeship year, this time joined by local lady Mariel (also now of California). These two made a really terrific pair of excellent collaborators (and could charm their way through pretty much anything).
2011-12 was my first year serving as apprentice coordinator! Here, we see Meggan, Nicole, Rob (who was another fellow Gettysburg alum!), and Katy. This image of them with dog leashes attached was an apprentice promo photo for several years.
2012-13 – Kayla, Kyle, Kathryn, and Gary (or “KGary,” as we tried to call him… we really wanted the alliteration to work!), a.k.a. the four apprentices who made it rain lemons in the theatre at the height of their Fresh Voices production. This quartet couldn’t have been more different and proved that great art often thrives best from a diverse ensemble of creators.
2013-14 – Jordan, Cathy, and Mallory brought unique strengths to the apprentice year. Their ensemble piece for Fresh Voices was probably the funniest that I’ve seen yet. And their combined work ethic was gargantuan – a really good team.
2014-15 – Last year, we had Anna and Remy, both of whom are still in that local-and-partially-involved stage of post-apprenticeship (Anna teaches YPL, Remy is a frequent volunteer, and we still see both of them around the building on and off). We’re excited to see where the next few years take them.
At time of writing, our 2015-16 apprentices, Julia and Raven, are in the process of developing their first draft of Fresh Voices material to share with the ensemble – and in just the blink of a few months, I’ll be adding their pictures to a collection like this, as they take their place in the apprenticeship hall of fame. But in the meantime, outreach to the apprentices of the future continues – and promises to be just as rewarding.
Touchstone Backstage 